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Hello, what's that I hear? Songs about ...?
Teddys to Winnie The Pooh, Paddington to Rupert, grizzlies to polar bears, we've got the full range of soft, full and fierce for you as guest of the week Carpgate takes us from caves to woods and beyond, inspired by last week's topic
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Bear with us ...
We’re heading down into the woods today and beyond, hopefully in for a few surprises, and beyond naked necessity, with songs where bears feature prominently in title, lyric or theme, perhaps too in musical delivery capturing their qualities, and no doubt also in metaphor for all kinds of human contexts
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Siouxsie Sioux
Lipstick, eyeliner, powder and more, it's all going in these beautifully made-up lists by guest of the week Suzi capturing all the looks, identities and the emotions and dreams behind the creams, inspired by last week's nominations
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Just a little heavy on the foundation, fellas?
Lipstick to mascara, eyeshadow to foundation, music stars have always been putting on a performance persona mask. Cosmetics do strange things to us. In a narrative, they could leave traces of romantic encounters, make for a great vivid detail in lyrics, as well as an extended metaphor. So a rather different way this week, it's time to face the music …
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Howlin’ Wolf in his prime …
Tinted with the wrong associations and overshadowed by other colours, brown is heavily underrated. But it has a natural beauty and vast range, as shown by these perfect shade of playlists picked by guest Loud Atlas from last week's topic
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Prime humming: Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes
It’s a sound that draws you into the melody and can sometimes say more than words. Inspired by last week’s topic, guest ParaMhor picks a hum-dinger of a collection spanning many genres and eras. Hum along if you don’t know the words
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An Anna’s hummingbird at work
A hum-dinger, or at least a hum-singer of a topic, one in which we're seeking songs that feature that sound, perhaps mostly by the vocalist when not singing lyrics, but perhaps other effect and forms of vibrating hum, from rock and pop, famous classical operatic passages, jazz, R&B, reggae and much more
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Beautiful Golden Sebright
Start from scratch? No, there's a lot more fun in the farmyard and beyond with a brilliantly entertaining fluffy bird songs chosen by guest of the week Nicko from last week's topic. Now for the pecking order ...
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What’s been added to your cat-alogue this year?
It’s holiday time, so let’s take stock of music seen and heard this year, either here, but in fact anywhere, releases old or new. So please recommend and share in comments. These can be put into personal or collective playlists
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Allons enfants! It’s time for those anthems, but with a deeper look, as the Paris Olympics opens and celebrates its centenary
As the 2024 Paris Olympics opens, we examine the strange nature of the national anthem, for better or worse, not merely in versions thereof, but also songs and works which feature clips or renditions, or lyrically reference or talk about the concept itself even in more general terms
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Gil Scott-Heron: Detroit disaster just averted …
From the almost did to only just happened, close encounters of all kinds – from romantic situations, haircuts, or averting nuclear meltdown, inspired by last week’s nominations, guest playlister Loud Atlas just makes it happen in the best possible lyrical way
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Crosstown traffic: he’s luckier even than Donald Trump …
This week it’s the almosts, the nearly happenings, the white-knuckle moments, the narrow escapes, for better or worse, however, and whatever way you look at them, the tiny marginal could-have-gone-either-way events that make you think, gasp, feel relieved, grateful, sorry, or change your perspective
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Live and Letta Mbulu
From politics to personal life, sexuality and personal liberation to broader social issues, on the back of recent elections and a topic covering freedom of speech, guest playlister Maki spans geography, genre and time to give the subject a full hearing
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Trumpet solo …
Trumpet solos, roar power to the sound of mew-sic, after a melodious menagerie of nominations from last week’s topic, nature-loving playlister Uncleben cleverly tracks down creatural participants for their own perspective on fabulous avine, bovine, elephantine, feline, galline, leonine, lupine, phocaenine and porcine contributions to the genre
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Three-part harmony …
It’s a vast sonic language, mostly beyond our understanding, but with a more subconscious appreciation, has been incorporated in different genres of music, from field recordings and samples, or even those mimicked by the human voice or by instruments
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Reflection on Omaha beach in the aftermath of D-Day battles on 6 June 1944
Following the 80th anniversary of one of the most significant events of the 20th century, guest playlister Maki picks poignant and powerful selections abuot that event as well as other do-or-die metaphors inspired by last week’s D-Day topic
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Singularly different: The Undisputed Truth
Sometimes they were an inspiration improvement, sometimes an editing and style aberration. Picking out the differences from last week’s singular topic, guest playlister ParaMhor cleverly chooses the contrasts for better or worse
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Stack of 7-inches
Brutally, or mercifully truncated, radio-edited in musical mix or lyrical content, decorously tarted up with orchestra or other instruments, added or deleted solos, made dancier or more ethereal, it’s time to dig up some the contrasting versions that have surprised, delighted or frustrated you
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Long player: A young Diego Maradona enjoying one of his other hobbies, 1980
At the zenith of the season, with tournaments ending and beginning, let’s pass our attention to the beautiful game, skill, artistry, eccentricity, but also history, culture, with metaphors, and hopefully avoiding the bad songs, the goal is dig deep into music from around the world …
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Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
Trousers, pants, hotpants and other leggings, not to mention even a couple of legless numbers, from the beautiful to the bawdy, this week’s music definitely doing the talking and walking is picked by guest Marco den Ouden from last week’s topic
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